Do you ever feel like your days are spent taking care of whomever or whatever is screaming at you the loudest? Then by the end of the day you throw your hands up in the air, frustrated, upset, and dreading the fact that tomorrow it’ll all start over again. If this is a recurring theme in your life then you may be too busy putting out fires rather than just keeping water in the fire bucket.
Mistakes and oversights happen and at times we’ve all felt the twisting knot in our stomachs as we stand stripped of pride, vulnerable, and about to get hit by the fist of accountability but once that fist has left it’s mark don’t try and hide from it and forget about it. You already took the pain so use it.
Make yourself feel better by "filling the water bucket". Figure out how to improve your systems and procedures to prevent that from ever happening again. Ask yourself: What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? How can I prevent this problem from coming up again? What policies and procedures need to be made? What resources can I use to help me activate those policies and procedures at the appropriate times?
Do you need to make changes to a contract? Set recurring reminders and appointments on your phone? Create a checklist to follow for common tasks? Write emails that are scheduled to go out on certain dates? Use group emails? Make form letters that you will use for recurring events? Get some better technology, phone apps, or software to keep you better organized and effective? Learn a new skill or insight (Youtube and podcasts are free or inexpensive)?
Your are in charge. You need to be running your business rather than letting your business run you. You need to be actively creating and improving systems, procedures, and policies that keep your business more efficient for you and your customers. As illustrated in the title of this blog, your job needs to be preventing fires so you don’t have to spend all your time and energy putting them out.
See your business as a machine with a lot of moving parts. Where is the machine choking? Is there a gear missing that needs replaced? What part of the machine uses too much of your time and how can you change that? What part of the machine is always breaking down and what is the permanent fix? What parts of the machine do you hate working on and how do you change them out?
If you are focused on keeping the machine working to do the work for you than you will find you have much more free time and a lot less stress. In today’s world we have so many resources to help us keep the machine working. For example, some of the things I do in my business, property management, is I use software that allows my tenants to apply online, pay rent online, electronically sign leases, and integrates with my website so when they do those things online all the data entry is automatically done. I also use keyless locks on our rental units to help with showings and to save money so we don't have to rekey doors anymore. I use recuring reminders on my phone to tell me to schedule inspections. I also send a form letter to new teants that answers all the common questions people have. Those are just some of the parts of my machine. I can't tell you all of what you need for your machine but if you keep the focus to build and improve upon it you will discover what it needs. Sometimes you just need a little determination and creativity.
Just one of the many ways we work harder and smarter to protect your investment.
Jeff Stinson
Kasteel Property Management
801-787-1177
www.kasteelproperty.com
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